Almost exactly a year ago, Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders and Colorado State coach Jay Norvell traded barbs ahead of an emotionally-charged, double-overtime game that was eventually won by the Buffaloes.
A year later, with a rematch at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Co. just days away, Colorado State players have fired shots across the bow.
Speaking during an interview ahead of the rivalry contest, Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and wide receiver Tory Horton made it clear that the team is out for "revenge" against the Buffaloes.
"We owe them one,” Horton said. "And that’s something that’s been sitting on everybody’s mind since we came back from break. We owe them one and we walked away from that game as we kind of left it all on the field.
"I don’t feel like we left it all on the field, because we should have murdered them guys. They came out with that attitude as they were on top of the world, and this ain’t no Cinderella story. We’re coming for revenge."
Colorado State stars Tory Horton and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi on Colorado:
— On3 (@On3sports) September 12, 2024
“We should’ve murdered them guys… this ain’t no Cinderella story. We’re coming for revenge.”
“We’ll see how far Instagram likes get them.”
(via @Romi_Bean)https://t.co/HDaug80nCq pic.twitter.com/dy5Z9ucEpS
Fowler-Nicolosi, who fired two of his three touchdown passes to Horton in last year's loss, took it a step further, ripping into the hype Colorado generates on social media.
"They came out with that attitude and thought it was gonna be a cakewalk," Fowler-Nicolosi said. "They saw the reports, 27 and a half points, or whatever it was, and they got a rude, rude awakening real quick.
"And I think it goes to show that the hype, the media train, all that — it only gets you so far at the end of the day. At the end of the day, you have to line up 11 guys against our 11 guys, and we’ll find out who wants it more. We’ll see how far Instagram followers gets them."
Colorado, in a stark contrast to last year, is only favored by seven points as of Thursday.
Last year, anticipation for the game heightened after Norvell took a shot at Sanders's signature sunglasses, which he had been wearing while speaking to the media, saying "When I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat and sunglasses off." Sanders responded by saying that the Rams had made the game "personal."
It seems as though two of Colorado State's best players have done so once again.
More of the Latest Around College Football
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Colorado State Players Want 'Revenge', Rip Colorado's Social Media Hype.
